Electrically-propelled vehicle.



H. W. LEONARD.

ELBG'TRICALLY PROPBLLED VEHICLE. APPLICATION FILED APR. 1 3, 1908 1,121,382, Patented Deo. 15,1914.

3 SHEETS-*SHEET 1A wh/Lewes 1 y Snom/1ro@ l H. W. LEONARD. BLEGTRIGALLY PROPELLEDVEHICLE. Y APLIoATIoN PI'LED AAPR. 1a, 190e. l, 21,382, Patented Dec. 15, 1914,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2l 11. W. LEONARD. ELECTRIGALLY PROPBLLED VEHICLE.

v I VAPPLICATION FILED APR. 13, 1908.4 1,121,332, Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

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when applied to y reduction of wear, breaks i' STES HARRY wenn LEONARD, or nnoNX'viLLE, NEW Yom;

p nLno'rRnnLY-rnornnnnn VEHICLE.

' rignal application Yfiled March 2,

*To v all whom ift muy concern:

Be it known that l, HARRY WARD LEON- ARD, a citizen et the United States, residing 'at lnonxville, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented cer- `tain new and useful improvements in Electrically-Propelled Vehicles, or' which the hfolloiving is a full, clear, and exact speciication.

This application is a division of my pending application Serial' No; 145,686, tiled March 2, 1903.

My invention relates to various devices andfmore especially to that class of vehicles 15 lin which an engine'is employed for driving va dynamo electricfinechine which supplies energy to one or more propelling electric v, motors. l

The principal lobject of my ,invention vehicles is tol secure more perfect control of the speed and tractive eiiort over the Wide range desiree-ble in order to vsecure the best results'in practice.vv

Further objects of my invention'are the e, noise,` strain and shock present in appar tnsof this general character as heretofore proposed; the `utilif/:ationot thesimplest, cheapest und best foi-in of prime mover under conditions most favorable for its use; and the use of electric `motors for propelling the vehicle'iinder conditions most favoraible to their' ei'liciency and durability. 4,

i The principal features oif my invention 40 transformed into electric energy, the electroiecificaton of LettersrPatent.

35 when applied to vehicles mary be briefly Y motive 'force of which is controllable over wide range at the will of the operator. This electric energy is supplied to one or more propelling motors ut such u voltage and cui'- rent as will cause the vehicle to trnveiv zit the speed desired according to the road suii'aces und' gradr met vwith. ln practice lthe electrical=transmission as I employ it replaces the usual mechanical variable or 5o change speed gear. although in some 1nstance/s1 may emploiY such a gear in edditien to the electrical control er electrical,

transmission gear as it may be termed.

1903, SerialfNo. l45,686. Divided and this application filed April 113,

- 1908. Serial No; 426,639.

forms of my inventions-re ,illus the nccompanying drawings, in

Certain trated in which Y i i .i

Figure l is a diagrammatic illustration of a steering gear whereby the four traction wheels are controlled for steering purposes; f -l `igs. 2, 3 and 4 are deta-ii views illustrating constructions which may be employed ,with

a vehiclehaving an. independent propelling motor for each traction Wheel; Fig. 5, is a. diagrammatic 'vie-w of'a series parallel ,controller and'apparatus for struck employing four propelling motors, and Fig.` 6 is a Y diagram showing the vehiclev and appara-tus generally.v i v In Rig. l, l have illustrated'sJ steering gear which may be employed when. each of the foin" wheels is provided with'. its.;

own propeliing motor. In that arrangement each wheel is nearly vertically `pivoted at' y, und each pair oi wheels is connected by a l bar y in the Well known mannen- TQ the vertical pivots 'of diagonally opposite'wheels.

are attnchedlevers e to which levers are-attached raclrbars s which meshwith `u pinion et. This pinion isiotated in either direction by any suitable form of steering .lever or the pinion may be drivenby un electric motor or other suitable forin of` power, and it' will be observed tht, Whichever direcf tion the pinion is turned in, the four traction Wheels will be swuhgon their pivots in the same direction.f :l`\v arrangements of the propelling motors in a vehicle provided with a steering gear as in'Fig." L are :illustrated in Figs. 2, Band 4.

In Fig. 2, the traction: Wheel is ournalcd in a sti'rrup H having a vertical pivot `pin h which will work in a' suitablebearing carried by the frame Work. One end-vof the axle projects through the stirri'ip andcerries n gear 4wheel lz which meshes with a pinion rigidly connected with gear wheel h2 which in turn meshes with the pinion on the armai ture shaft of motor A. This motor prefer ably has its armature provided with two windings and tivo commutatore and a sepa- `rateiy excited, field as in the 'arrangement f illustrated in Fig. 2 of my originalgapplieation. The'inotor and gear Wheels It: ure mounted! in a frame H arranged to be mounted on the stirrup`H,so that when the is turned on its pivot insteering, the

stirrup vehicle and formoving the front Wheels for steering the vehicle.

8. The combination of lan electrically driven vehicle having front and rear Wheels, a plurality of driving electric motors, each motor drivinfr an individual Wheel, means under the delnite control of the operator for causing at least one of said motors to generatea dynamic controllable braking current, and mea-us for` simultaneously moving the front and rear Wheels each about their respective vertical axes for steering the vehicle.

. ncctions of certain of the motor windings.

'fill 10. The combination of a vehicle, means for supplying electric power for ,propelling the vehicle comprising. a prime mover and a .variable vcltagedynamo electric generator, an electric motor for applying power to a `Wheel of the vehicle for propelling the vehicle, means for moving said 'motor-'driven Wheel and its driving motor vfor steerin the vehicle, and means under the control o` the operator for developing acontrollable braking current.4 1

ll.. The combination of a vehicle,7a motor for driving a Wheel of the vehicle for propolling the vehicle, a sprin suspension flor said motor independent of t ie lvehicle frame, means i'or moving said Wheel fr steering the vehicle,"a variable voltage dynamo electric source of energy on the vehicle for supplying energy at variable voltage to the armature of the motor, a second source of energy on the vehicle adapted to supply energy to a Winding of said 'dynamo electric source, and Ameans for varying theelectromotive force applied lto a Winding of. said motor for varying its speed..

1.2. The combination of a vehicle, means for moving a plurality of Wheels of the vehicle for steering the vehicle, each of said Wheels having a propelling electric motor, means for connecting certain of the motor windings in series and in parallel for coutrolling1 the speed,A and means for supplying a variable voltage to said windings torcer trollably braking the vehicle.`

13. The combination of a highway vehi cle, :i gasolcue en ine thereon for supplying power for propo lingn the vehicle, dynamo elcctricmeans for transmittin lthe power to atleast four propellinrf vv eels of `the vehicle,` ineens for varying the volta-ge of the electric venergy supplied for varying the rent. l L Y 18. The combination of a vehicle, a motor for driving a Wheel of the vehicle, dynamo.

mensen speed of the vehicle and for braking the vehicle, and-means for moving least two of said propelling' Wheels for steering purposesIk p p i" lll." 4".lfhe combination of aveliiclc, a prime Wheek, a propelling motor for each of said for transmitting power to said motors, means for varying the voltage of the electric energy for the purposes4 of speed control and braking and forvarying the circuit connections o certainy of the motor windings for,

control purposes, and means for turning said propelling Wheels for steering purposes.

'movsl thereon, a, plurality of propelling.

wheels' respectively, dynamo electricv means A l5. 'The combination of a vehicle, a prime mover thereon, means for transmitting the power to a `plurality of propelling Wheels, said means comprising a dynamo electric machine having a separately `excited field winding, an additional source of electromotive force on the vehicle for exciting said ferent voltages, means for varying the connections of certain of the circuits,v and means for moving at least one of said pro- Ipeiling Wheels for steering the vehicle.Y

'17. In an electrically propelled vehicle, a i

motor forv propelling a Wheel of the vehicle,

means for mounting said motor with the Wheel so as to turn therewith when the wheel is turned for steering purposes, means for turning the wheel together with said motor for ste-erin@ the vehicle lmeans on the vehicle for generating electric energy .at different voltages and supplying energyatsuch clifferent voltages to at least one element of ,the motor for the purpose of securing dillerent speeds, and means under the control of the operator for causing the motor to gem crate a controllable dynamic braking curf electric means for developing;` electric energy on the vehicle, means under the controlof the operator for varying the voltage of the energy orithe purposes oi" speed control and for electrically braking the vehicle, power transmitting speed reducing torque increas ing means betweenA the motor and said Wheel,.-l

and means for moving said Wheel `for steering the vehicle.

19. The combination of va vehicle', an electric motor for driving eachof at least three propelling and steering the vehicle, saidv propelling wheels of the vehicle respectively, and means for connecting certain of the motor windings in series and in parallel Jor controlling the speed of the vehicle and for independently controllizg the current in Vother windings of the motors.

20. In an electrically propelled vehicle, a. propelling vvheel unit, comprising' a Wheel, a motor movable with said Wheel about a vertical axis, means including an elastic medium for mounting said motor on said wheel, means for generating on the vehicle the electric energy used for propelling the vehicle, and means under the control of the operator for varying the voltage of said energy for the purpose of definite speed con.- trol and for electro-dynamically braking the vehicle by a controllable braking effort.

21. A. self-propelled vehicle, comprising a .plurality ot' propelling and steering units, each ol: said units being movable as a Whole aboutits respective vertical axis, each oit said units comprising a spring suspended electric motor and a Wheel driven thereby, means comprising a prime motor for glenerating on the vehicle the electric energy `used for propelling the vehicle, and means for varying the voltage of said energy for the 'purpose ol speed vcontrol during acceleration and retardation of the vehicle.

Q2. In a self-propelled vehicle, a plurality of self-contained driving units, each of said ".initscomprising an electric motor and a driven element, the armatures of said motors being connected in a common circuit, and means for varying the speed of'said motors 4hy varying the voltage impressed upon the said circuity and by varying independently the magnetic field strength of the motors.

23. ln a self-propelled vehicle, a unit .for

unit comprising an electric motor having a separately excited field winding, means comprising a prime mover .torgenerating on the vehicle the electric energy used -:tor propelling the vehicle, and means for varying the voltage of said energy for the purpose of speed control during acceleration and retardation ot the vehicle.

24. In an electrically operated vehicle, a Wheel having a cooperating propelling electric motor, said wheel and motor being mov- Yable about a substantially vertical axis for steering purposes, and controlling means for causing said motor to generate controllable dynamic electric energy vat different voltages less than the maximum voltage for braking the vehicle.

Q5. In an electrically operated vehicle, a plurality of wheels each havingr its coperating propelling electric motor, each,l

vwheel and its motor being movable about a substantially vertical axis for steering purposes, and controlling means` for changing the circuit connections oi' certain of the motor windings and 'for causing the motors'to clectrodynamically brake the vehicle.

26. ln an electrically operated vehicle, three or more wheels each having its eooperating propelling electric motor, each wheel and its motor being movable about a substantially verticalv axis for steering purposes', and controlling ine-.ins 'lor changing the circuit connections olf certain of the mo'- tor windings and for causing the motors to elcctrodynamic:y lly brake the' vehicle.

2T. ln a power driven vehicle, three 0r nore tractive Wheels, means lor moving at least three wheels each about a substantially vertical axis 'ior steer-i g 'purposes, and means comprising an electric generating source of variable voltage for causing cach of said wheels to develop electrodynaniically a controllable accelerating tractive elort and also acontrollable retarding tractive e'lfort.

28. ln an electrically propelled vehicle, the combination of 'four driving and steering wheels, an.individualclectric motor for driving each of said wheels respectively, each oi" said motors having a separately excited lield winding. a prime motor on the vehicle, a dynamo driven bysaid prime motor. and means For connecting the motor armatures in parallel with each. other under certainoperating conditions and in series with each other under other operating con ditions and 't'or applying a gradually increasing voltage from a low value to the motor armature circuit when the motor armatures are connected in each of said ways. 29. .ln an.` electrically propelled vehicle, a prime motor, --a moans ior controlling said nxachine 'for producing "electric energy at a controllable gradually variable voltage trom a lovv' voltage to a high voltage. a. plurality of steerable Wheels, an electric motor for individuallv driving each of said Wheels respectively, and means for causing the motor armatures to ,be supplied with energy ata gradually increasing voltage 'from a low voltage t0 a high voltage while the motor armatures are connected in series with each other and also while the motor armatures are connected in parallel with each other.

ln testimony vdiereoiv l allixmy signature.

in presence of tivo Witnesses.

HARRY TARD LEONARD. Witnesses:

B. E. SMr'rnn,

Guo. N. lnea.

dynamo electric inaehine,. 

